Proton, the Swiss-based maker of productivity privacy apps, has a new feather in its cap after bringing document creation, editing and collaboration capabilities to its secure cloud storage offering. The launch of Docs on Proton Drive, as the new product is branded, follows the acquisition of secure note-taking app Standard Notes in April.
Proton launched Proton Drive, its encrypted end-to-end (E2EE) cloud storage service, back in September 2022, starting with web support and expanding to mobile devices later that year.
New collaborative document features are available in Proton Drive, further extending the company’s trademark robust security to another key productivity tool for information workers and individuals alike.
Proton offers the combination of Docs in Proton Drive as a secure and privacy-focused alternative to Google Drive and Docs, given that the latter’s competing products lack Proton’s flagship zero-knowledge architecture.
“This notable addition to Proton’s suite of privacy-focused products provides a robust alternative to existing document editors such as Google Docs, ensuring that privacy and security are paramount – without compromising on vital features,” the company wrote in a post in a blog.
E2E encryption refers to a technical architecture where the entity providing the software cannot access user content because it does not possess encryption keys. This allows Proton to make a no-nonsense privacy statement that offers clear differentiation from data-dependent business models like Google’s.
“Docs offers the same level of encryption as Proton Drive, meaning all content is E2EE protected,” a company spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch. “Even changes and keystrokes are encrypted, as well as file names and file paths.”
“Building collaborative documents that preserve E2EE was incredibly difficult and something we haven’t seen anyone else do in the market. This includes key exchange and synchronized key information, plus the ability to invite people to collaborate and revoke those permissions, as well as share documents privately,” the company added.
Proton says it will update its website over the next few weeks to go into more detail about how Docs works behind the scenes. The company notes that it already rolled out enhanced sharing features on Proton Drive a few weeks ago in anticipation of this launch.
For Proton, Docs in Proton Drive includes popular and “essential” features such as full support for markup and rich text, code blocks and checklists. It also confirmed compatibility for multiple file types, including Microsoft .docx, and the ability to embed images in documents.
Collaboration features include the ability to add and reply to (and allow) comments, and see who else is viewing a document in real-time with “collaboration cursors.” Invitations to collaborate on documents are also supported; participants without a Proton account will be prompted to create a free account to gain access, which can help it drive additional signups and drive its growth.
In line with Proton’s Freemium principle, the new document features can be accessed for free through Proton Drive, which offers up to 5GB of free storage. After that threshold, users who want to take advantage of the document capabilities will need to upgrade to a paid tier of Drive.
More features are under development. Proton said its roadmap will aim to improve user experience and productivity, starting with more powerful collaboration tools for teams. Given Proton’s security promise, it offers Docs in Drive to businesses subject to high data protection compliance requirements, such as those in industries such as healthcare, media, finance and law. However, individual users can also benefit.
The company has confirmed that the document code will be open sourced “soon”, allowing for independent auditing and verification of its security claims.
As a further reassuring step for consumers, last month Proton announced that it is moving to a not-for-profit foundation structure model, with the new foundation becoming the main (for-profit) shareholder of the business. He said this management change is designed to protect its privacy mission over the long term by allowing it to be self-sustaining and independent of other commercial programs.
The app maker, which was founded a decade ago as an E2EE webmail service (ProtonMail), has grown in usage over the years, expanding to offer a range of pro-privacy freemium apps focused on productivity, including a cloud storage service , along with a calendar app, VPN, and password manager.
Proton now reports a total of more than 100 million user accounts, with 500 employees supporting all of its technology.
